AGIS Report

With contributions by Nof Al-Temimi, AGIS Mooting Officer, Mercedes Papadapoulos, AGIS Social Officer and Kayode Aseweje, AGIS President.

Gray’s Inn aims to empower each of its members to reach their goals, fostering educational excellence within an inclusive, connected and supportive community. AGIS aims to facilitate these goals for the student body through a range of educational and social activities, some recent ones being described below.

AGIS Christmas Meet

On 5 December 2025, the AGIS committee organised its first social event of the season: an informal Christmas meet. Students and residents of the Inn met at the Bridge Bar for mince pies, mulled wine, and hot chocolate.

In an era of Zoom meetings and email chains, this cosy evening was a great opportunity finally to put faces to names, including the EDI Officer and mince pie quality sampler, Boma Orubibi. One of the residents of the Inn, Master Oscar del Fabbro, walked us through his role at the Inn and ensured we became well acquainted with the rest of the residents. Together, we reflected on our experiences on the Bar course and shared our ambitions for our future career paths, as we prepared for pupillage applications over the Christmas break.

Beyond networking, AGIS social events aim to further the inclusion of students in the life of the Inn and stimulate interest in the various events and opportunities Gray’s has to offer. These include the famed Miscellany, the Grand Night and Mixed Messes. The opportunities for interaction with barristers at various levels of seniority who specialise in a diversity of areas allows students to recognise the practicalities of life at the Bar. In addition to being valuable information for pupillage applications, they are also useful in deciding what kind of career they may want to have at the Bar.

The Christmas meet was a true testament to the friendly and supportive spirit that defines our Inn, and a wonderful way to begin the festive season in a community, particularly for those studying away from home.

Mooting

For any aspiring barristers at the student stage, mooting is the touchstone of advocacy experience. It is one of the best opportunities students have to develop the craft of oral and written advocacy, in an environment where the stakes are lower than in a real-life case.

AGIS delivers opportunities throughout the year for student members to get involved in external mooting competitions. This year, we have registered Gray’s Inn students for the Jessup International Law Moot, the Sparks WMILAR Moot (on International Law and Animal Rights), the European Law Moot and the UKELA Environmental Law Moot. This is with the aim of giving students the opportunity to engage with a wide range of disciplines and practice areas. Moots such as Jessup take place over a number of months, allowing students to engage in-depth with the moot problem and develop their written and oral advocacy over a longer period. The students have so far have highlighted the value of mooting in developing both confidence and competence in advocacy. Gray’s Inn students have historically excelled in the national rounds, and the aim this year is to do even better at the global rounds.

Participants have described the process as challenging but rewarding, particularly in strengthening their legal research skills, written submissions, and oral argument. Mooting provides practical insight into life as a barrister, allowing students to practise persuasive advocacy, respond to judicial questioning, and work collaboratively in preparation for their future careers as barristers.

We also recognise that not all students have mooting experience, and the confidence to put themselves forward for major national and international competitions. This year, we have collaborated with the Inn’s Debating Society to run an ‘Introduction to Mooting’ workshop, aimed at this category of students. This was held in January 2026, using a mooting problem from a previous competition to get students thinking about formulating arguments for either side of a case (event pictured below). Feedback has been positive, with participants expressing gratitude for the opportunity to develop their advocacy without competition pressures. We plan to make this a regular feature of our mooting schedule to ensure all students, no matter their level of experience have the opportunity to develop and excel at mooting.

The Rite of Spring – AGIS Ball 2026. Mercedes Papadopoulos

Spring arrived early at Gray’s Inn Hall this year. Hellebores, tulips, and Persian buttercups adorned the long dining tables while wisteria hung from the balcony. With silk flowers scattered around the venue, even Churchill could not resist embracing the flower power look for the occasion.

The theme for this AGIS ball was ‘The Rite of Spring’, Stravinsky’s eclectic rendition to the season of change and transformation. For attendees, this year marks the beginning of our own ritualistic dance from student to barrister, a challenging growth journey, where we learn to conquer our trepidations with ambition and resilience. And what better way to celebrate the advocacy metamorphosis than feasting and dancing alongside our friends, all night long?

George Yong, Bar Course student member and talented saxophonist, delighted the guests with soft jazz during the crémant reception in the Large Pension room. Master Christopher Russell was on photographer duty. All eyes set on our likely ‘Best Dressed Award’ contenders. One wore a red dress, her neckline lined with embroidered daisies. Another one was wearing a light blue ball gown, with an up‑do decorated with butterflies, hoop earrings to match.

At dinner time, the guests entered the hall and enjoyed a candlelit banquet with copious amounts of wine. While the piano played, students captured memories in disposable cameras, until it was time for the dessert table and port back at the Large Pension room. The choice of four sweet treats, including a decadent island chocolate tart and a superb caramelised banana sticky date cake, were swiftly transformed into crumbs as we fuelled up to have our dance.

Back in Hall, George was now our DJ, playing the piano alongside a curated playlist. Students cast their vote on who was the ‘Best Dressed’: Middle Temple takes the prize! Guest Venus Chong wins a bottle of champagne and shares it with friends while dancing to the music. At this point, high heels have come off, there is nothing but bliss and enjoyment.

Just as the night was about to turn a bit too loud, the speakers stopped working. But that did not stop the party: immediately students burst into song in unison, swiftly followed by George’s sax, in a perfectly synchronised performance of ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody’.

The night culminated with an improvised sax and piano duet rendition of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, with Gray’s Inn students euphorically singing and dancing along to the music, surrounded by candles and flowers. Most importantly, we enjoyed amidst our friends, and soon‑to‑be our learned colleagues at the Bar.

And so, The Rite of Spring was complete.

Explore more from this edition

Evaluating Evidence – Cautionary Tales!

Reflections on two murder cases exposing false confessions and flawed assumptions, and asking whether open minds can ultimately prevent miscarriages of justice.

Ena Collymore-Woodstock – A Remarkable Life

Ena Collymore‑Woodstock, Jamaican barrister, magistrate, war veteran and a tireless pioneer for women, died aged 108, leaving an extraordinary legacy of justice, courage and service spanning a century.

History Society Lecture

A dazzling royal favourite rises and falls: Lucy Hughes‑Hallett FRSL reveals how George Villiers, first Duke of Buckingham, became both powerbroker and pariah – loved by kings, blamed by a nation, and immortalised as history’s scapegoat.

Book Reviews

Two compelling books – one exploring justice by an experienced judge in the Old Bailey with a focus on women and girls, the other, and exploration of law and science through a biography of pioneering British physicist and astronomer Sir Bernard Lovell.